How to Pave a Gravel Driveway

Country and rural homes tend to have gravel driveways.

An inexpensive method for paving a driveway consists of gravel or crushed rock over a graded, packed dirt bed. If you already have a gravel driveway and want to pave over it, the least expensive option is adding a hot-asphalt seal-coat layer over the surface of the gravel, followed by a layer of crushed rock. This is not a project for a novice do-it-yourselfer.

New Gravel Driveway

1

Check local building codes. Some building jurisdictions may require a grading permit before you pave a gravel driveway. If you are in a particularly dusty area and need to complete extensive grading, you may need to hire a water truck to keep dust from blowing into neighboring properties or the street.

2

Draw a driveway plan to scale. Measure the distance from the house to the existing road. Decide the width you want the driveway. Minimum driveway widths start around 10 feet, medium widths are about 12 feet.

3

Calculate the slope needed for proper drainage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that driveways slope a minimum of quarter-inch for every foot, or 2 percent, away from the house and final slope of a half-inch for every 10 feet away from the home's foundation. The final slope can be as great as 12 percent in some cases. To facilitate drainage from the driveway, add a slight slope that aids water runoff during storms.

4

Add stakes and strings to the outside perimeter of the driveway so you know where to grade.

5

Grade the driveway. You may have to hire a professional if you do not have the experience to operate the equipment needed to grade the driveway. Include a trench for runoff on the drainage side of the driveway. A tractor, grader or skid-steer loader will make the job easier than manual labor with shovels.

6

Calculate the square footage of the driveway to determine how much gravel you need. For example, if you plan to add 2 inches of gravel to a 12-foot-wide by 30-foot-long driveway, its square footage is 360 feet. Multiply the square footage by the depth of inches required. Divide this total by 324, which is the number of cubic inches in a cubic yard. A depth of 2 inches requires 720 cubic inches or 2.22 cubic yards of gravel required.

7

Drop the gravel onto the road and spread it across its surface evenly. You can use the skid-steer loader to do this or use asphalt lutes to manually spread it.

Pave an Existing Gravel Driveway

1

Remove debris from the driveway. Get rid of broken branches, leaves and any debris that can interfere with the chip-seal paving process. Fill in any low areas with gravel, as the gravel must be an equal depth across the surface of the driveway.

2

Level the gravel across the driveway surface in line with its slope. Periodically check for depth with a yardstick or tape measure. You want to ensure the depth of the gravel is as uniform as possible across its surface.

3

Spray a thin coat of heated asphalt across the surface of the gravel driveway. You may need to hire someone to do this, or rent a seal-coating skid sprayer from a home rental yard.

4

Spread a half-inch to 1-inch of crushed aggregate atop the surface of the still-wet asphalt using wooden lutes -- long handled rakelike tools that have a flat wooden bar in place of the rake.

5

Roll over the surface of the driveway with a machine compressor or manual roller to compact the surface. You can fill manual rollers with water to add weight to help them compress the gravel chips into the seal-coated surface.

Things You Will Need

Grader or skid-steer loader

Wood stakes

String

Gravel

Asphalt

Asphalt seal-coating skid sprayer

Crushed aggregate

Asphalt lute

Machine roller, compressor or manual roller

Tip

If you hire out parts of the job, confirm your professional has a construction license, and insurance is up to date. Solicit bids from between three to five contractors to get the best deal.

Spread the gravel over the hot asphalt immediately. You need to work the gravel into the asphalt while it is still warm. If it cools, the gravel will not pack into the asphalt but lay atop it.

Asphalt is sold at retail in 5-gallon containers. You need to ensure you have enough asphalt for the entire project. As it heats up, it thins. Check labels to see how much asphalt you need to cover the driveway. Make sure you can return unused 5-gallon containers, and buy extras so you're sure not to run out before the job's done.

Warning

Work with hot asphalt on sunny days so it stays wet while you spread the gravel.